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CFTR (AM)
'''CFTR, broadcasting under the brand 680 News, is an all-news radio station based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which broadcasts live 24/7 @ 680 kHz on the AM dial. According to a recent survey by the Bureau of Broadcast Measurement (BBM), 680 News has more cumulative listeners than any other radio station in Canada. It reached at least 1.3 million listeners a week. History of CFTR The station launched in 1962 on 1540 kHz as CHFI-AM, simulcasting the beautiful music of CHFI-FM, 1 of Canada's 1st FM radio stations. Since 1540 was a clear-channel frequency assigned to stations in the United States & the Bahamas, CHFI-AM was authorized to broadcast only during the daytime. In 1963, it sought to pay CHLO in St. Thomas, Ontario to move from 680 to another frequency to free up 680 for CHFI-AM's use. No deal was finalized, but, by 1966, the stations reached an agreement to share 680 & CHFI-AM moved to 24 hour operation @ that frequency. In 1971, it changed it's call letters to CFTR, a tribute to Ted Rogers, Sr., radio pioneer & father of controlling shareholder Ted Rogers. In 1972, it abandoned the simulcast of CHFI & adopted a Top 40 format for which it became legendary. For many years, it was the primary competition to Toronto's original Top 40 station, 1050 CHUM. Among the station's claims to fame is hiring the legendary John "Records" Landecker away from Chicago's powerhouse WLS in 1981. CFTR surpassed CHUM in the Toronto BBM ratings for the 1st time in 1984, 2 years before CHUM dropped Top 40 in favor of an Adult Contemporary format. It adopted it's present all-news format in 1993, becoming the "first and only" all-news radio station in Canada since the end of the former CKO network in 1989 (the "only" was dropped after the launch of NEWS 1130 in 1998). With the Toronto station's success, Rogers has since expanded the format to stations in Vancouver (CKWX) & Calgary (CFFR), while using similar branding for news-talk stations in Kitchener (CKGL), Halifax (CJNI-FM), Saint John (CHNI-FM) & Moncton (CKNI-FM). 680 NEWS is the first station in Canada to offer traffic and weather every ten minutes on the ones, sports at :15 and :45, business at :26 and :56. This newswheel is also used on all Rogers' all news stations and during drivetime on all Rogers' news-talk stations. Hour newswheel The 680 News format is very rigid except in cases of extreme breaking news when they switch to "In-depth Team Coverage" when the format has been known to be loosened a little. The station carries a 60-minute news wheel. Newsflow & commercials make up the rest of the unscheduled time. Standard Hour Hotclock: *0:00 - Time Signal + Headlines *0:01 - Traffic & Weather *0:03 - News *0:09 - En-Pro Gas Price Update *0:10 - Commercial *0:11 - Traffic & Weather *0:13 - Market Minute (weekdays 5h30 - 18h30) / Commercial *0:14 - Headline re-cap *0:15 - Sports *0:17 - Commercial *0:18 - International *0:20 - Commercial *0:21 - Traffic & Weather *0:23 - Commercial *0:24 - Entertainment *0:25 - Commercial *0:26 - Business *0:28 - Commercial *0:29 - Traveller's Weather *0:30 - Time Signal/Headlines *0:31 - Traffic & Weather *0:33 - News *0:39 - En-Pro Gas Price Update *0:40 - Commercial *0:41 - Traffic & Weather *0:43 - Market Minute (weekdays 5h30 - 18h30) / Commercial *0:44 - Headline re-cap *0:45 - Sports *0:47 - Commercial *0:48 - Health *0:50 - Commercial *0:51 - Traffic & Weather *0:53 - Commercial *0:54 - Entertainment *0:55 - Commercial *0:56 - Business *0:58 - Commercial *0:59 - Regional Conditions Special features * Canada's most frequent "Market Minute" reports at :13 and :43 (while others run from 9am to 5pm, it runs from 6am to 6:30pm) * The world's first radio station broadcast "All Christmas News" at :25 every hour (11/11-25/12 each year) * Canada's only radio station airing "En-Pro Gas Price Update" at :09 and :39 each hour (from 8am to 1am every weekday) Presenters Current News * Paul Cook * Catherine Jette * Mark Douglas (also reporter) * Brian Fysher * Sladjana Tamindzic * Sarah Parrott * Scott Burnett * James Munroe * Jack Roe * Claire Brassard Traffic * Darryl Dahmer (airborne) * Halina Balka * Kerry Prunskus * Christine Langos * Colette Desjardins * Jeffrey Halpenny * Jon Mace * Jordan Kerr * Russ Holden * Victoria Williston Weather * Jill Taylor * Natasha Ramsahai * Adam Stiles * Frank Ferragine * Stella Acquisto * Haroid Hosein Sports (from SN590) * Alex Seixeiro * Andrew Nie Business * Kris McCusker * Christine Richey * Mike Eppel * Richard Southern Reporters * Carl Hanstke * Jaime Pulfer * John Stall * Geoff Rohoman * Charlene Close * Kevin Misener * Irene Preklet * Cormac MacSweeney (Parliament Hill) * Fil Martino Others * Amber LeBlanc - morning senior news editor * Mike Leach - morning technical producer * Steve Roberts - morning writer * Neetu Seupersadsingh - afternoon editor * Millicent Angeles - afternoon technical producer * John Bowles - midday/afternoon audio editor * Anne Lavrih - newsroom coordinator/editor * Colin Robertson - editor * Diana Pereira - digital editor * Betty Harrison - midday editor * Michael Gibbons - editor * Patricia D'Cunha - web content writer * Steve Burghardt - audio editor Past * Teresa Kruze - now @ CP24 * Bill Cole * Mike Wilner * Michael Gossack * Dick Smythe * David Craig * Stephanie Smyth * Evelyn Macko * Larry Silver * Paul Decourcey * Mariane McLeod * Ken Cassavoy * Marianne Summers * Mike Cleaver * Joe Snider * Karen Parsons * Carolyn Heldman * Nancy Daigneault * Karen Bodirsky * David Melbourne * Scott Simpson * Kathy Hyde * Michael Kane * Michael Hainsworth * Anne Machowski * Janet Deline was here * Jim Morris * Bob Nichols * Al Zimmer. * Danny Nicholson * Mike Dejong * John Downs * Chris Mavridis * Mark Brennae * Rick Crabb * Arlene Healy * Rob Sands * Jane Mitchinson * Cory Galbraith External links *680 News *Canadian Communications Foundation station history *CFTR: The Legend 1978-1982 tribute page